# MD Dopers: Question about shingles/chickenpox

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-dopers-question-about-shingles-chickenpox/224667>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 15, 2004, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-dopers-question-about-shingles-chickenpox/224667 "2004-01-15T22:39:54Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![paa3838](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9de053/32.png) [@paa3838](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paa3838)\
**Post date:** [January 15, 2004, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-dopers-question-about-shingles-chickenpox/224667/1 "2004-01-15T22:39:54Z")

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A family member is recovering from shingles… took the prescribed meds, and was healing okay. One of the blisters broke, though, and I read online that that can spread chickenpox to people who haven’t had it.

How long is it contagious?

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**Author:** ![brachyrhynchos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brachyrhynchos/32/376_2.png) [@brachyrhynchos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brachyrhynchos)\
**Post date:** [January 16, 2004, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-dopers-question-about-shingles-chickenpox/224667/2 "2004-01-16T01:07:35Z")

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Yes, if you’ve not had chickpox, you can catch it from someone with shingles. Once you’ve had chickpox, the virus remains with you. On occasion, and for some people, the virus re-expresses itself in the form of shingles. The blister contains virus when watery (contagious), but when they scab over, then they don’t contain virus (non-contagious).

[Hawaii’s Dept of Health](http://www.state.hi.us/doh/resource/comm_dis/cddshing.htm) suggests that contagion ends once the blisters have crusted over and no new blisters have appeared.

Hope your relative is feeling better.